COQUITLAM 3 VICTORIA 2
The junior-age athletes on the Victoria Grizzlies and Coquitlam Express had any number of avenues from which to draw inspiration on an Olympian Saturday night at Bear Mountain Arena.
Canadian eights 2012 London Olympic silvermedallist rowers Andrew Byrnes, Rob Gibson and Jerry Brown dropped the ceremonial first puck before the B.C. Hockey League game. If that wasn't enough, locked-out NHL defenceman Ryan O'Byrne of the Colorado Avalanche made his assistant coaching debut on the Grizzlies bench.
After the Olympic rowers dropped the puck, Coquitlam defenceman Callum Hofford dropped the hammer on the Grizzlies with the winning goal on the power play at 18: 19 of the third period to give the Express a 3-2 victory.
The goal was the result of a controversial five-minute major penalty and game misconduct assessed Victoria's David Mazurek for a hit to the head on Coquitlam forward Brady Shaw.
The game featured two teams ranked in last week's Canadian Junior 'A' top-20 poll as the Grizzlies fell to 5-3-1 and the Express moved to 5-2. As to be expected, the contest was crisply-paced although somewhat marred by the events near the end.
"They got the break, took it, and capitalized on it," said Victoria GM and head coach Bill Bestwick.
"We got off to a slow start again [Coquitlam took an early 2-0 lead] but we showed a will to compete and battled back hard and put ourselves into position in a one-shot game."
Unfortunately for Bestwick, that "one shot" went Coquitlam's way.
As for the call on which the game turned, Bestwick said he would "have to watch the video."
"But No. 12 [Coquitlam's Shaw] was back out there for the [ensuing] power play [after a fairly prolonged period laying on the ice following the incident in which Victoria's Mazurek was whistled for the major penalty."
Coquitlam was on the board with two goals before the game was seven minutes old. Scoring were Luca Leone and Jace Hennig, the latter among six Express players committed to U.S. collegiate NCAA athletic scholarships.
The Grizzlies pulled one back with a pin-point top corner zinger by call-up player Justin Polischuk at 15: 42 of the first period. Dante Hahn, from the doorstep on the power play, tied matters 2-2 at 2: 31 of the second period.
The action was often frenzied around the nets and both goaltenders did well to hold their ground. Cole Huggins made 26 saves for Coquitlam and Michael Stilliadis 36 for Victoria in being named third star.
The Grizzlies host Salmon Arm on Friday at the Bear.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
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